At least seven people were killed, and six others were injured after a suicide attack targeted a restaurant in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday, the police said.

The al-Qaida-linked terrorist group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement published on its affiliate website. The group has in the past carried out attacks in Somalia.

The restaurant, which was located opposite a police training station, was frequented by officers, according to a security source. Police say the victims included officers and civilians who were having tea outside the General Kaahiye Police Academy on Thursday.

"The café was full of people enjoying their tea, and then everything was chaos," he said.

A paramedic at Madina Hospital told The Associated Press that several injured people were receiving treatment.

"We are working to rehabilitate the wounded, many of whom sustained severe injuries," she said.

Thursday's attack came two months after 37 people were killed in an attack on a public beach in Mogadishu.

"My cousin and four of his colleagues died in the blast. We are rushing to the scene to take his body," Hassan Osman, a relative of one of the victims, told Reuters.

The al-Qaida affiliate frequently attacks military outposts and state targets as part of a mission to overturn Somalia's government and establish its own rule.

Somalia has been taking over security responsibilities from foreign troops who had been deployed under the African Transition Mission in Somalia, whose mandate ends in December 2024.